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8 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 WATERLOO CHRONICLE 630 Riverbend Drive, Unit 104 Kitchener, Ontario N2K 3S2 519-579-7166 Fax: 519-579-2029 www.waterloochronicle.ca Donna LUELO PUBLISHER EDITORIAL Bob VRBANAC EDITOR ext. 2305 editorial@waterloochronicle.ca bvrbanac@waterloochronicle.ca Adam JACKSON REPORTER ext. 2308 ajackson@waterloochronicle.ca Samantha BEATTIE REPORTER ext. 2229 sambeattie@waterloochronicle.ca ADVERTISING 519-579-7166 Ted ANDERSON, 579-7166 REGIONAL AD MANAGER tanderson@waterloochronicle.ca SALES LEAD Michelle STEVENS, ext. 2232 mstevens@waterloochronicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVE Cassandra DELLOW, ext. 2306 cdellow@waterloochronicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVE Aaron MURRAY, ext. 2304 amurray@waterloochronicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVE Mary Alice Martin, ext. 2303 mamartin@waterloochronicle.ca CLASSIFIED 519-895-5230 CIRCULATION 519-886-2830 ext. 213 Canadian Publications Mail Sales Publication Agreement Number 40050478 International Standard Serial Number ASSN 0832-3410 Audited Circulation: 31,292 The Waterloo Chronicle is pub- lished each Wednesday by Metro- land Media Group Ltd. ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL The Waterloo Chronicle is a mem- ber of The Ontario Press Council, which considers complaints against member newspapers. Any complaint about news, opinions advertising or conduct should first be taken to the newspaper. Unresolved complaints can be brought to: Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1706, Toronto, ON., M5B 1J3. COPYRIGHT The contents of this newspaper are protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-com- mercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copy- right. For further information con- tact Bob Vrbanac, Managing Editor, Waterloo Chronicle, 630 Riverbend Drive, Suite 104, Kitchener, Ontario N2J 3H8. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor must contain the writer's full name, address and tele- phone number. Addresses and tele- phone numbers are used only for veri- fication purposes. Names will not be withheld. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal purposes. Letters may be submitted by email to editorial@ waterloochronicle.ca. Suburban Newspapers of America VIEWPOINTVIEWPOINT WATERLOO CHRONICLE CHRONICLE EDITORIAL Having children is like getting to experience your childhood all over again, except you get to buy all the cool toys you didn't get the � rst time. I was a huge Star Wars fan growing up and the one toy I always wanted was an Impe- rial Snow Walker to add to my action figure collection. I had the snow speeder and the Echo rebel base, but I didn't have the almost-foot-tall machine of destruction that could leave all those other toys in ruins, just like the movie. I saw it once in person at a friend's house, but that was the closest I got to it. I could only drool and dream. It wasn't until well into my adult years I bought the elusive collectible. It's now sitting out proudly on display in my kids bedroom with a bunch of the other things I wish I had as a kid, including electronic lightsabers and a Darth Vader mask. There are those, of course, who sometimes think I'm tak- ing my second childhood a little too far, like my wife Tara. She thinks it adds to the clutter of the kids' room, while I think it gives it some character. Plus I get to show it o� to all my grown-up friends when they come over, and they can see the room bask in the glow of the warm lightsaber light. OK, maybe she's got a point, but at least I've managed to convince her that some of that collection is pretty cool. Or she realized she married a geek, and she's just feeling sorry for me. My latest fascination has been a game my kids introduced me too called Clash of Clans on the iPad. You use knights and mysti- cal � gures to protect your castle while wreaking havoc on the opposing players battlements. For all you old Dungeons and Dragons players out there, its all the fun of that game with- out having to roll the dice. I'd like to think that I've become pretty good at the game. My sons Dylan and Ethan disagree. They keep accusing me of losing precious crowns and forcing us to fi ght in lower are- nas. Apparently, one round got so bad my son Dylan ran to my wife crying that I was ruining the game. All I could hear was, "You suck, Dad." He threatened to remove the app from the iPad until I threat- ened to remove him from the family's Wifi access, which I for- tunately pay for. I earned a small measure of redemption by battling my way up to the royal arena, but it was only a temporary respite as I kept being demoted to the builder's workshop. When I finally earned my stripes again, my youngest son Ethan said, "Dad, quit while your ahead." I insisted that I was doing fi ne. "Dad, fi nish with a win," he said. "Don't be a loser." From the mouth of barbar- ians, I say. Still learning to share the toys The government of Ontario is looking into launching a basic guaranteed income pilot program with the ultimate goal of seeing if the plan is workable for the entire province. � at discussion comes to this community next week and people are encouraged to have their say as to whether they think this is a potential solution to eliminate poverty in the province. Th e concept is an appealing one -- a basic income that insures everyone has the same opportunity and ability to make their way in society without the hurdle of worrying about the basics of food, heat and housing everyday. But there are a lot of questions to answer about how this program could be applied, including whether mandating work or the search for work will be part of the new entitle- ment, or if adequate supports, like affordable housing, would be in place. Th e project could also transform the current social safety net, putting the funding in the pockets of individuals and families, and thereby eliminating some of the administra- tion of those programs. Cutting those program supports could lead to the sav- ings and revenue needed for the program, but the question remains, will it make up for all the current safeguards in place, like dental care? Th e idea of a basic guaranteed income has been fl oated out before, and has been tested in Canada. Some of the initial findings were positive including the ways it could potentially cut some of the health care costs when people aren't always struggling for subsistence. Th e cost of the program will be a major factor in whether it goes forward. But if there are savings to be found and they can be shifted appropriately, it could fundamentally change how we deal with poverty in the province. It's worth a try BOBBY'S WORLD BOB VRBANAC